The Green Tea Issue

It is generally known that Green Tea is packed with numerous health benefits.  It also has a major reputation of assisting in weight loss.  Does it deserve the hype, or is it all exaggeration?

When addressing health benefits, Green Tea can:

• Increase your metabolism
• Increase energy
• Block fat absorption
• Boost the immune system
• Promote healthier skin
• Enhance focus and mental function
• Fight the ageing process
• Promote oral health
• Protect the body against diseases

When looking closely one can clearly see weight loss issues listed along with the other health benefits.  Along with giving you an extra energy boost , Green Tea stimulates the metabolism while simultaneously blocking fat absorption.  Please note that there are weight loss claims about Green Tea that has not been properly and scientifically tested, but nevertheless evidence are adding up.  There is certainly enough evidence to say that Green Tea is the perfect beverage as weight loss companion.

Now, let's look into the facts that are proven already...

1.  Green Tea Burns Fat

Food (including sugar and fat) is synthesized into a substance called "triglyceride" in the liver and small intestine.  It is then carried into the bloodstream to other tissues in the body.  Triglyceride is used as source of energy for life support and physical activities and is very necessary.  The problem comes about when there are excess amounts of triglyceride, because then it's turned into fat which subsequently causes obesity and weight gain.  That's where Green Tea comes in...  It contains hight amounts of polyphenols which activate the enzyme that is responsible for dissolving excess triglyceride.  In the long run this means that Green Tea effectively aids in burning fat.

2.  Green Tea Stimulates the Metabolism and Accelerates Weight Loss

Green Tea contains powerful antioxidants called catechin polyphenols that are responsible for many of the health benefits of Green Tea.  One of them in particular, epigallocatechin gallate (or EGCG), has been found to stimulate the metabolism and accelerate weight loss.

EGCG, along with the caffeine in Green Tea, stimulates the central nervous system and causes fat to be released into the blood stream for the body to use as fuel.  This process of fat being used for energy is called "thermogenesis".  You already got introduced to this term in the introduction page of the Weight Loss Challenge.  Just to refresh your memory, thermogenesis is the function where the body burns calories for the heating process.  It provides energy, sheds excess water and also helps to burn body fat.

(Note that large quantities of caffeine can actually slow down the metabolism but in low quantities and in combination with the benefits of Green Tea it is very effective for energy and weight loss)

3.  Green Tea Helps You Exercise for Longer

Everyone knows how important exercise is to losing weight.  It burns calories, increases energy and builds muscle which in turn boosts your metabolism even higher.  The catechin polyphenols in Green Tea appear to stimulate the use of fatty acids by liver and muscle cells.  This subsequently reduces the rate that carbohydrates are used and allows for more endurance and longer exercise times.  In fact, a study using Green Tea extract on lab rats increased the amount of time the animals could swim before become exhausted by as much as 24%.

More endurance means more exercise, which means more calories burned and it all adds up to more kilo's lost!

Now, Green Tea is not the tastiest beverage on the market but there are different ways to overcome the taste and enjoy the health and weight loss benefits...

For exclusive weight loss try to use 2%, 1% or low fat milk if you can't do without it.  Instead of sugar use fructose or leave out and add a slice of lemon.

If this still does not work for you but you really want to add the benefits of Green Tea to your weight loss programme, put the teabag in a cup and fill half with boiling water (if the cup is large, fill only a third) and let it stand to cool down.  The tea will be strong enough in the little water if you allow to stand until a comfortable drinking temperature (about 10 minutes).  Now, take big sips to finish the cup in two to three large sips in the same way you would drink bad tasting medicine.  This means no milk and no sugar added but the pure benefits of Green Tea added to your diet!

Try to drink at least twice a day and if possible half an hour before exercise.

Exercise!

The Value of Exercise

Exercise is critically important in reaching your weight loss goals.  No matter what your age, weight, physical limitations or current level of activity.  Virtually everyone can exercise in some way.

Exercise benefits you physically, mentally and psychologically.  Now is the time to exercise your rights:  incorporate exercise into your life and reap the benefits!!


Benefits of Exercise

Exercise have many benefits.  They are:

• Increased fat-burning capabilities and metabolic rate during and after exercise.
• Builds cardiovascular endurance.  Can help reduce risk of plaque build-up and heart disease.
• May help increase HDL "good" cholesterol and lower triglycerides.
• Can help reduce risk of colon cancer.
• Helps control blood sugar (glucose) levels, especially in those at risk of diabetes.
• Helps improve bone density and reduce risk of osteoporosis.
• Increases energy.
• Improves flexibility.
• Helps control appetite.
• Enhances mood and helps manage stress.
• Promotes sound sleep.
• Promotes better overall circulation.
• Boosts self-esteem.
• Boosts self-confidence.
• Helps you achieve long-term success in your weight loss goals.

Weight Loss and Exercise

Unquestionably, the best way to lose weight and keep it off is with a lifelong simple programme of regular exercise.  In fact, just a few lifestyle changes can have a positive impact on your weight loss goals!  The question can be asked, "Why exercise?"  Reducing kilojoule intake can slow down your metabolism.  Exercise keeps your metabolism in high gear and prevents your body from conserving kilojoules.

Keep it safe!

If you haven't exercised regularly in the last 2 years, or are over 40 years of age, or have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease, it is imperative that you check with your doctor before starting an exercise programme.  A critical key to a successful exercise programme is to choose something that you enjoy!  Whether you walk, run, swim, hike or bike, choose activities that you look forward to doing - or a combination of them!  You also want to spend the majority of your exercise time doing aerobic exercise rather than weight training.

Walk it off

Learn to love walking.  It's a great way to burn kilojoules and improve your health.  Nearly everyone can walk.  Walk in the morning, after a meal, after work - any time.  Give up one TV show every night and walk. Instead of sitting on the couch and watching the news, listen to it on a radio (or your cell phone) while you walk.  Incorporate more walking into your everyday activities.  For example, in parking lots, don't hunt for the closest possible space, park in the outer perimeter and walk to the shop.  In malls, take the stairs in stead of the lift/escalator.  If you work in an office, get up once every hour and take a quick 2-minute jaunt.  When you get back to your desk, you'll feel refreshed.

3-Phase Exercise Programme

Exercise is a critical component of the GR2 Control Weight Loss Programme and you can choose various levels of activity.  Essentially an exercise programme can be divided into three levels and you can progress from the first level to the third as you become more proficient.

Phase 1:  Basic Motion
Increase your energy expenditure through everyday activities, for example:

• Walk an extra 5 minutes every morning before you go into your building at work.
• Walk an extra 5 minutes when you leave work every day.
• Park your car in the farthest space from where you enter your place of employment, shops, post office, etc.
• Do your own gardening.
• Vacuum your house every day.
• Watch one less TV program every day and use that time to walk or do something active.
• Walk your pet every day.

Phase 2:  Lifetime Health
In conjunction with the Basic Motion programme, the Lifetime Health programme incorporates a simple exercise plan.

• Activity:  Your choice of sport or exercise that causes your heart to work at 60-70% of capacity
• Frequency:  2-3 times per week
• Duration:  20-60 minutes per session
• Intensity:  A pace or intensity that allows you to still hold a conversation, but talking is difficult.  (You would not be able to sing)

Phase 3:  Ultimate Fitness
Utilises all of the components of Lifetime Health plus:

• Incorporate a strength training programme.  Visit a reputable health/fitness club and discuss your goals with a qualified, certified trainer.
• Participate in a competitive sport.  There are many organised sports that provide you with wonderful ways to stay healthy, fit and social.  For instance, tennis and squash clubs, swimming, dance classes, evening cricket and volleyball leagues.

Not yet up and running?

If you aren't currently getting regular exercise, just start!  You'll feel so good about yourself, your body, and your new positive outlook, you'll want to keep it up.  Keep in mind, like any habit, it takes a few weeks to develop.  So expect a bit of personal resistance at first.  You'll be able to come up with a thousand excuses to do something else other than work our, but resist the temptation.  In a short time, exercise will become part of your life - and the pay-off will be incredible!

The Value of Water

Did you know that water makes up about 60% of your total body weight?  Water is your most vital nutrient.  The National Research Council recommends approximately 8-10 glasses per day for women (2-2,5L) and 10-12 glasses a day for men (2,5-3L)

You need water for several bodily functions:

• Every cell in your body depends on water to function properly.
• Water is part of the chemical structure of compounds that form the cells, tissues and organs of your body.
• Water supports your kidneys in their role in protein metabolism.
• Water is also important for proper elimination.  Constipation can often be avoided by simply increasing one's water intake.
• Water provides satiety value and helps one to feel full.  Scientific studies have demonstrated that people eat fewer kilojoules at meals when they make food choices which have higher water content.
• Water is also known to help remove toxins for your system, keep your skin clearer, assist with nutrient absorption, help reduce headaches, and more!

Here are some ways to incorporate drinking more water into your day:

• Have a glass of water upon waking in the morning.
• Drink water with every meal, regardless of other beverages you may be drinking.
• For every caffeinated beverage you drink, have a glass of water.  Caffeine dehydrates and can make you excrete more water than you take in.
• Always have water readily available at your desk or workplace.
• At home, keep a glass of water nearby and drink from it often.
• Drink 250ml of water for every 15 minutes you exercise.

Water drinking tips!...

If you find it difficult to drink water, drink it at room temperature rather than cold.  You will find that you will be able to drink more water at room temperature than cooled water because it swallows easier.

If you are not used to the natural taste of water add a slice fresh lemon and/or mint leaf.

Get into a habit to drink water directly after you've brushed your teeth.  This will give the water a minty taste.

When going to bed, put a glass of water in your reach and every time you wake up at night, drink a few sips of water.

Drink water in stead of other beverages when watching your favourite TV shows.  You will not even notice how much water you drink while concentrating on something else!

Get your mind in order

Weight Loss has been and will always be a struggle.  Your body is programmed to love food and for some unknown reason, the 'wrong' foods.

Have you noticed how a child that was brought up without sweets acts when he/she taste sweets for the first time?  It seems like something in the brain is triggered and the hand is unable to feed the mouth quick enough.  I've seen this many times when parents keep sweets away from their babies and small children and these children can choose whatever they want on a friends birthday party.  It is quite interesting and exactly the point I want to prove:  Our bodies are programmed to prefer foods that are not good to us.

Now you understand why weight loss is such a challenge!  You are battling your own body to change its habits and most of all, to dislike what is actually preferred.

If you want to lose weight successfully, do not start dieting without getting your mind in order.  The mind is the most powerful asset to be successful at whatever you desire.  Think about yourself - how do you look to yourself?  When you are naked and look into a full size mirror, what do you see?  

• Start with your hair.  Is it dull and lifeless?  Write it down.
• Your face...  Does it look swollen, rough skin perhaps?  Maybe spots, pimples or other skin problems?  Write is down.
• Your shoulders.  Are they looking proud or are they hanging like you've lost a battle?  Pull them up.  Do they look better now?  Write down what you see.
• Your arms...  Are they floppy and totally out of shape?  Write it down.
• Now take a look at your chest.  If you're a man, does it look like you need a bra?  If you're a woman, does it look like you need two bra's or maybe your body is so plump that it does not like if you have breast at all?  Write what you see.
• Your waist.  Is it totally out of shape?  Did your once stunningly shaped waist turned into a zero?  Does it constantly look if you're pregnant?  Maybe you have lose floppy skin as a result of pregnancy.  Maybe your wife was pregnant but somehow you turned out the one with the floppy skin...  Write what you see.
• Now turn to the side.  What do you see when looking at your behind.  Well, when I started with weight loss, I saw trouble when I looked at my behind.  Does it look like a huge hail storm attacked your bum and thighs?  When you look at your tummy and behind from the side, does it look like your pregnant on different areas of your body?  This is going to change!
• Look at your legs.  Do they look more like tree stumps than shaped legs?  Write what you see.
• Your feet... Are they swollen and look like they can do with a good rest?  Write how they look.

Now you have assessed how you look to YOURSELF.  Take a look at your body as a whole.  What do you think it looks like to other people?  If you're married, what does your husband or wife see?

I believe you are now totally shocked into reality regarding how you look and maybe denial was a more appropriate way of thinking because it meant less work.  Maybe you feel already discouraged.  Don't be!  You were never before in a better place than right now because now you can start plan your work and work your plan!

Once a friend of mine told me that every woman needs a friend that is fatter than her because then she does not feel that guilty.  This made me think of how many 'fatter' friends I knew and then it struck me:  I am also the fatter friend in other people's lives.  Now I did not feel that good any more!  Who are you?  Are you the fatter friend in most people's lives?  This is going to change and then they will become the fatter friends when you absolutely love your new body and feel great!

How do I plan my work towards weight loss?

Easy!  You have already assessed your body.  Now you are going to assess your life.  Think about the following and write it down for 1 week only (be honest):

• How late at night are you going to bed?
• Do you get at least 6 hours sleep a night while 8 is the perfect number?
• How late are you getting up in the morning?
• What is the first thing you consume after waking up?  Coffee?
• Are you doing some exercise to kick-start your day?
• Are you taking a fresh bath or shower before work?
• What are you eating for breakfast?  Are you eating at all?
• How is your work day?  What do you consume during the day?  How many coffee?  And sugar???
• Do you eat food at all during your work day?  What and how many?
• When you get home from work, what do you eat? And/or drink?
• What are you doing?  Watching TV?  Preparing dinner?...and then watch TV?
• Are you taking a bath or shower to wash away the stress of the day?
• What are you consuming before going to bed?
• Over the weekend, how is your lifestyle - what do you eat and drink and how many hours do you sleep?

Now get a plan!

You have assessed your lifestyle.  Does it seem healthy?  Are you respecting your body by feeding, relaxing, resting and cleaning it properly?  Probably not if you put the two assessments next to one another.  Maybe now you understand why your hair is dull, why your skin does not look smooth and healthy and all other things you saw in the mirror.

The best place to start changing how your body looks is by changing your lifestyle!  The best place to start changing your lifestyle is by getting a plan!

Now, take your lifestyle assessment and making a plan to change it by adding something positive, pro-active and healthy to replace the negative, passive and unhealthy issues.  Make a list to be able to formulate a plan.  "What plan?", you may ask...  Well, the things you are going to do to change your lifestyle, eating habits, sleep patterns and relaxing your body.  Be reasonable and draw up a "things to do" list.  Be practical.

Now work your plan!

Take your "things to do" list and put it next to your daily activities.  Maybe you can go to bed an hour or two earlier to be able to get up one hour earlier in the morning.  Instead of taking a large mug of coffee and two or three spoons of sugar, drink a glass of water to get your metabolism running.  Now, put on something comfortable and go for a walk (if you're heavy overweight please do not try to jog because your feet and knees work to hard and takes to much impact) or do some exercise at home with a DVD.  It is important to get your heart rate up to tell your body "its time to wake up and start working".  You need 20-30 minutes of exercise to give your day a kick-start.  If you take a walk, walk fast enough to be able to talk a few words but unable to sing.  Do not overdo it!  

When you get home, drink a cup of coffee instead of a mug full and use half the sugar.  Switch to decaf instead.  Take a nice shower or bath to relax your muscles and 'get fresh' for the day.  Now its time for breakfast.  If you are using the GR2 products, take your meal replacement shake.  If not, eat something healthful like a slice of whole wheat bread with cottage cheese (low fat), a boiled egg or fresh fruit or have a small bowl of whole wheat breakfast cereal without sugar (all of them have sugar already added) and a fruit or glass of fruit juice.  The idea is not to each as much but to choose low GI foods that last you longer!

Now you're ready to start your working day.  At tea time rather have a whole wheat cracker and cheese than a donut or biscuits.  Again, drink half the amount of coffee and sugar if you must and keep it decaf with low fat milk.  Try decaf tea that helps your digestive system rather than coffee that slows it down.  Pure fruit juice or water is a better choice.  If you can eat fruit you've already added fibre which are needed to make your body function well.

For lunch make the time to sit and eat - be relaxed.  Eat something low fat and keep servings small.  Go for the low GI options if keep meat skinny and about the size of the palm of your hand.  A good size slimmers steak is about 160-200g.  If you eat at a restaurant, ask the waiter for a grilled option that is not oil basted.  Always eat salad with oil free dressing and not to much salt.  

When you go to a shopping mall, do not take the closest parking.  Walk fast and use the steps in stead of the lift when you do not have much to carry.  If there is only a lift, park as far as possible to get some exercise. Rather buy juice or water than donuts, popcorn or sugary fizzy drinks.

When you get back from work, instead of going straight to the couch to watch TV, go for a quick walk for about 10 minutes.  Walk as fast as you can and drink lots of water.

Eat dinner early.  It is best to eat 3 hours before going to bed but 2 is fine if you get home late.  Eat something light if you had lunch or if this is the main meal of the day, eat low GI foods that will last longer.  Before you go to bed, take a refreshing shower or bath to literally wash away the stress of the day and relax mind and body.  If you're not tired yet (I bet you will be with all the extra exercise!), read something relaxing and then go to sleep.

If you've planned your 'work' well, you will easily work your plan!

Good luck and I know the reward will be pleasant!